Having a look at houses in Nova Scotia, somewhat unexpectedly it looks as though a house with a swimming pool is a possibility. To be honest , I know nothing about swimming pools, so for those of you that do:-

Are they expensive to maintain (what is the approximate annual cost ?)
Are indoor or outdoor pool smore expensive, or are they about the same ?
How much use am I likely to get from an outdoor pool in Nova Scotia ?

Any help would be appreciated

Ta

Have had two pools, but not in Canada.

Can't remember offhand what the chemicals cost, but they were not exactly cheap.

The weekly chores associated with maintaining the pool (testing the water to see what chemicals it needed, getting the mix of chemicals right, cleaning the filter, lifting leaves out of the pool, etc.) were a pain in the neck.

Our pools were well fenced, but there still was the sense of responsibility that never left me. I was always aware that someone could drown in our pool.

I have absolutely no desire to own a pool ever again. If I was house hunting, a pool would be a non-negotiable no-no for me.

Who needs a pool when you have hundreds of lakes everywhere and you're never more than 40-50 miles from the ocean at the most?

We've got a hot tub (it came with the house) and it's a real pain with all the chemicals - lovely once you get in though.

One of our friends has a salt-water pool that takes away all the chemical hassles, I'm not sure if you have to add salt once in a while though.

Our friends have a salt-water pool in NS and they say it needs very little looking after. A poolman comes at the end of the season and closes the pool down and comes back just before summer and flushes through the pipes and sets it up again. Don't know how much it costs though.

In the US they are expensive to heat...it all depends of the capacity of course.

My unheated outdoor pool here in southern Ontario costs me about $1000 a year (opening and closing costs plus chemicals). Last year I had to replace the liner, which was $3k.

It's useable (most years) from end of May until early September.

It was a good idea when we had kids/teenagers, but, frankly, it's a pain in the butt these days.

Not worth it IMHO.

That's what my husband says but he's at work Mon/Fri and has little spare time...me I love it.

Looking at houses, it has actually put me off the house if it had a pool.....or a wet bar in fact ( how naff ).

From years of watching A Place in the Sun, my impression of a saltwater pool is that you just chuck some salt in every so often and it requires very little other maintenance and is much better for your skin.

Edited: Just had a quick google and it looks like you still have to monitor and adjust the pH levels so not completely maintenance-free...

Can you convert an existing pool to salt water? Is it a problem for dogs to frequently swim in salt water?

Couldn't quite find the answer but came across a lot of sites like this!

http://www.dunkindawgsh2o.com/


There seems to be quite a lot of conversion articles.

http://www.homefree.com/Search/Homef...1/Default.aspx

Yep. And no to the doggy bit. Salt water pools aren't actually salty, it's just that you use an electrolysis device to provide the chlorine (from salt) rather than add liquid or powdered chorine to the water directly.

When we bought our house 20 years ago the guy we bought it off was so proud of his wet bar.

He was devastated when I told him as a condition of sale he could take it with him as I was going to use that space for my computer room.

It was all gone when we moved in.

Well, its obviously different strokes for different folks. We have had a pool for over 20 years and I still love it. I look after the pool and it's not complicated. I used to go to a very swanky place for my chemicals, but a couple of years ago I talked to my dil's Dad and he is an expert in water and chemicals. He told me to quit using all the extra water clarifiers and all that stuff and just go with the basics. Since then the pool has been easier to look after and cheaper to maintain.

As the snow has started to melt, it has become apparent that our pool has a serious problem. The liner has obviously been leaking over the winter because we only lowered the water about six inches in the fall when the pool people closed it - and now it appears to be down about five feet! However, I am going to get a new liner put in. I am the one who uses the pool most, along with my granddaughter and I would miss it. I found the bill for when we installed the last liner. That was in 1992 and it cost us $1,300. So it doesn't owe us anything.

Our pool is heated with a gas furnace. I was keeping track of gas useage last summer, but I haven't calculated yet whether we use more in the winter or more in the summer when the pool is running. It doesn't really actually matter to me. I want the pool; I want it heated - end of story.

I usually get the pool opened at the beginning of June and close it in September some time.